Links

Volleyball’s Melissa Brum Earns AVCA All-Region Honor

By Rob Garcia

Melissa Brum. Photo by Kenny Chacon.

On Nov. 26, Academy of Art University sophomore Melissa Brum (Multimedia Communications) added yet another accolade to her collection with an honorable mention selection to the 2014 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region Team.

She is one of 20 athletes from the West Region to receive this honor and once again the first in program history to do so after being named Daktronics West Region All-Star and All-PacWest Second Team following the Urban Knights’ 2014 season.

“Speaking for our volleyball program, we are grateful for the West Region coaches and selection committee for acknowledging Melissa’s impact this season,” head coach Ed Jackson said.

Brum’s sophomore year was highlighted by averages significant at the national level. By the year’s end, she was fifth in the country in kills per set (4.47) and ninth in the entire NCAA Division II in points per set (4.82).

She had 20 double-doubles which were the second-most in program history and became the first Urban Knight to crack the Top 3 in total kills which had previously exclusively belonged to Dan Yang, taking over second with 451 terminations on the year.

Melissa Brum. Photo by Kenny Chacon.

“Melissa had a fantastic year and deserves this recognition,” Coach Jackson said. “Being a member of the AVCA’s All-Region Team is quite an honor. The West Region has only one team and a small number of honorable mention selections. To be included in this elite class shows Melissa is one of the best players in the country.”

In the Pacific West Conference, Brum ranked No. 1 in total kills and second only to PacWest Player of the Year Shih Ting Chen (BYU-Hawaii) in both kills per set and points per set. Brum’s season-high of 23 kills (one off her career-high) came in the season finale when ART U triumphed over Notre Dame de Namur 3–1 on Nov. 15. She contributed a career-high 22 digs on a night where ART U set the single-game program record.

“She has emerged [as] one of the leaders on our team and will be at the forefront as we prepare to make our 2015 campaign the best in program’s history,” Coach Jackson said.